Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1915

Fay

Meaning A female given name, pet form of Faith or Frances Gender Unisex · 89% girls Rank 2025 #3,795 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

A female given name, pet form of Faith or Frances; often used as a middle name.

Rank 2025
#3,795
among girls · ↓374 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
39
named Fay · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 41,212
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1915
842 babies
All-time total
36,177
#805 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Fay popularity over time

36,177 babies have been named Fay since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 411 173 584 58 – #256
1890s 1,180 240 1,420 142 +143% #223
1900s 2,078 249 2,327 233 +64% #202
1910s 5,473 999 6,472 647 +178% #205
1920s 6,304 1,121 7,425 743 +15% #243
1930s 5,763 672 6,435 644 -13% #239
1940s 4,197 382 4,579 458 -29% #280
1950s 3,130 171 3,301 330 -28% #413
1960s 1,740 87 1,827 183 -45% #601
1970s 524 24 548 55 -70% #1,478
1980s 316 – 316 32 -42% #2,318
1990s 170 – 170 17 -46% #3,940
2000s 229 – 229 23 +35% #4,844
2010s 311 – 311 31 +36% #3,486
2020s (to 2025) 233 – 233 39 +25% #3,421

Where Fay is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 40 0.02 outside top 500
2027 40 0.02 outside top 500
2028 41 0.03 outside top 500
2029 41 0.03 outside top 500
2030 41 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Fay

Fay is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,795 in 2025 with 39 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 36,177 American babies have been named Fay, about 89% girls and 11% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1915, when 842 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Fay stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Fay?

The median living Fay is about 73 years old; half are between 62 and 83. An estimated 11 thousand people named Fay are alive in the United States today.

median 73 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Fay year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 39 #3,795 – –
2024 46 #3,421 – –
2023 34 #4,222 – –
2022 38 #3,909 – –
2021 43 #3,569 – –
2020 33 #4,201 – –
2019 38 #3,870 – –
2018 39 #3,806 – –
2017 26 #5,096 – –
2016 45 #3,486 – –
2015 25 #5,348 – –
2014 34 #4,302 – –
2013 26 #5,192 – –
2012 30 #4,757 – –
2011 26 #5,264 – –
2010 22 #6,037 – –
2009 26 #5,438 – –
2008 20 #6,637 – –
2007 26 #5,425 – –
2006 27 #5,137 – –
2005 16 #7,249 – –
2004 25 #5,111 – –
2003 25 #4,991 – –
2002 23 #5,140 – –
2001 17 #6,423 – –
2000 24 #4,844 – –
1995 15 #6,058 – –
1990 26 #3,940 – –
1985 32 #2,880 – –
1980 42 #2,318 – –
1975 50 #1,846 – –
1970 68 #1,480 5 #4,948
1965 155 #794 5 #4,087
1960 274 #601 12 #2,464
1955 263 #561 21 #1,697
1950 376 #413 20 #1,671
1945 335 #384 32 #1,170
1940 497 #280 59 #813
1935 543 #263 71 #726
1930 614 #251 83 #686
1925 607 #269 119 #571
1920 690 #250 134 #528
1915 701 #224 141 #462
1910 316 #205 24 #588
1905 215 #211 28 #404
1900 170 #248 30 #416
1895 121 #257 23 #401
1890 99 #250 25 #353
1885 48 #290 18 #427
1880 13 #478 15 #471

Famous people named Fay

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Fay Wray Fay Wray American actress (1907–2004) Contemporary
  2. 2 Fay Bainter Fay Bainter American actress (1893–1968) 19th century
  3. 3 Fay Weldon Fay Weldon British writer (1931–2023) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Fay, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Fay?

The median living Fay is about 73 years old. Half of all living Fays are between 62 and 83 years old.

How many people named Fay are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Fay are alive in the United States, based on 36,177 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Fay mean?

A female given name, pet form of Faith or Frances; often used as a middle name.

How popular is the name Fay in 2025?

Fay ranked #3,795 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 39 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Fay?

36,177 babies have been named Fay in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Fay most popular?

Fay peaked in 1915, when 842 newborns received the name.

Is Fay a boy or girl name?

Fay is used for both: about 89% of babies named Fay have been girls and 11% boys.

Is the name Fay rising or falling?

Fay is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Fay become more popular?

Fay looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 41 girls named Fay in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Fay?

Well-known people named Fay include Fay Wray (actor), Fay Bainter (actor), Fay Weldon (writer).

Names like Fay

Names that sound and feel close to Fay: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Fay with similar names → More names starting with F →